Issue Essay

Introduction

 Hook (generalization, anecdote, interesting fact, trend, quote etc.)

o Introduces the topic (nothing more); don’t write your thesis or supporting ideas!
 Shift to prompt
o Makes your essay more cohesive; an abrupt shift to your thesis is awkward
 Thesis (most important part of the essay, by far)
o This baby is the boss that controls everything
 Outline (Tell your reader how you’re going to structure your essay)
o Doesn’t have to be overly detailed

Body Paragraph (3 paragraphs)

 Topic sentence that introduces supporting idea

o It is imperative that this introduce the overall idea of the paragraph and that it supports
your thesis.
 Example
o You need a good example here, preferably from history, politics, economics etc.
If not possible, think of a good hypothetical. I don’t want to hear about Uncle Bob.
 Development/Explanation
o You need to develop this idea. You need to explain how your supporting idea connects
to your thesis. You need to explain why this matters.

Conclusion

 (strong thesis) Introduce a counterpoint that someone from the other side might use to argue
against your position.
 Shut down that counterpoint and explain how it doesn’t apply and doesn’t hold water
 Rephrase thesis and wrap this baby up.

 (moderate thesis) Explain how this issue is very complex and that there are no easy answers.
 Rephrase thesis and wrap this baby up.

College students should be encouraged to pursue subjects that interest them rather than the courses
that seem most likely to lead to jobs.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the
recommendation and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting
your position, describe specific circumstances in which adopting the recommendation would or would
not be advantageous and explain how these examples shape your position.
 The choice of one’s college is not a trivial one. In fact, it is not uncommon for entering students
to ruminate on this decision for months, perhaps years, and then, once a decision has been made,
immediately begin to second guess it. The prompt recommends that students not belabor this point too
long and simply choose a path that conforms most closely to their interests and skills. In my opinion, I
strongly agree with this suggestion and argue that students look inward rather than outward when
choosing college courses for two reasons.

To begin, the job market is ever shifting, and one decade’s ‘hot’ job is another decade’s dying
one. Thus, to choose one’s profession based solely on the availability of work is to take a short-term
perspective, one that will likely backfire. For instance, in the 1950s through the 1980s, nuclear
engineering was a rapidly growing field as many of the most powerful nations on Earth were not only
designing and manufacturing nuclear weapons, but hundreds of nuclear power plants as well.
Consequently, nuclear engineering graduates were able to find high-paying work almost immediately
upon graduation. However, because of issues related to NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) and recent
nuclear accidents like the well-publicized Fukushima disaster, many countries are moving away from
nuclear power in favor of other green technologies. Students who chose nuclear engineering in the
1970s because of the ‘abundant’ job prospects were certainly facing a different job market in the 1990s
– and this market has only worsened through the 2000s. The above example illustrates that the job
market is highly contingent upon unpredictable factors and that, if one assumes it is static, he or she is
likely to get burned at some point in the future. It seems absurd to think of now during the current
technological boom, but will the software engineering industry still possess dizzying job prospects in the
future? History tells us that it will not.

Further, even if we assume that the job market is not dynamic, that it is as unchanging as
gravity, one should still pursue his or her interests because our happiness plays a crucial role in how
effectively we work. For instance, if a student who is passionate about horse training ‘pragmatically’
chooses the path of computer programming because of the plethora of lucrative job opportunities, she
runs the risk of finding herself in a field she abhors (hates) and a job she finds no satisfaction in. She
might go to work each day, sit at her desk, and stare at her computer screen with the horse wallpaper,
wondering what could have been and the career path she could have chosen. She might complete her
programming tasks haphazardly and submit subpar work. Research has consistently demonstrated that,
perhaps above all other factors, happiness has the most direct causal effect on work efficiency. In other
words, workers who find personal satisfaction in their craft not only work faster, but produce higher
quality products and services as well. Thus, on a macro scale, governments should encourage their
populations to pursue their passions because, long-term, doing so leads to a more smoothly functioning
economy not bogged down by worker discontentment. One needs to only look at government regimes
from the past that forced many of their citizens to work on farms for the ‘collective good’. The vast
majority of these workers had no interest in being on the farm, and agricultural output plummeted as a
result. This phenomenon can infect an entire economy if people choose fields of study based solely on
the promise of work and income.

Of course, some argue that in our increasingly globalized economy competition for jobs has
skyrocketed and thus it is imperative that we pursue practical paths. However, isn’t that precisely why
we should follow our interests? If we do so, we’re likely to do the best job possible. We’re likely to
compete at the highest level. We’re likely to carve out a niche for ourselves in this ‘increasingly
globalized world’. People who ignore their inner voices do so at their own peril.
 Argument Essay

Introduction

1. Rephrase main conclusion from argument

2. Identify author’s evidence and/or premises
3. Thesis (to actually follow the specific task instructions)

Body paragraph (three of them)

1. First supporting idea (making sure to follow specific task instructions)

2. Example 1 (making sure to use ‘maybe’ language)
3. Example 2 (making sure to use ‘maybe’ language)
4. Effect on the author’s conclusion if the examples prove true

Conclusion

1. Statement that argument, as it stands now, is flawed

2. Request for more evidence
3. Statement of how evidence will help evaluate the argument more effectively.

The following appeared in an editorial in a local newspaper.

“Commuters complain that increased rush-hour traffic on Blue Highway between the suburbs and the
city center has doubled their commuting time. The favored proposal of the motorists’ lobby is to widen
the highway, adding an additional lane of traffic. Opponents note that last year’s addition of a line to the
nearby Green Highway was followed by a worsening of traffic jams on it. Their suggested alternative
proposal is adding a bicycle lane to Blue Highway. Many area residents are keen bicyclists. A bicycle lane
would encourage them to use bicycles to commute, it is argued, thereby reducing rush-hour traffic.”

Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide
whether the recommendation and the argument on which it is based are reasonable. Be sure to explain
how the answers to these questions would help evaluate the recommendation.
 In the editorial from the local newspaper, it is stated that opponents of the motorists’ lobby
plan to add another lane to Blue Highway have instead advocated that a bicycle lane be constructed in
order to alleviate the highway’s traffic issues. The opponents have come to this conclusion based on the
issues faced by Green Highway last year as well as the keen interest in bicycling of the area’s local
residents. However, before this recommendation can be properly evaluated, three questions must be
answered.

First of all, are Green Highway and Blue Highway roughly comparable? In other words, can
circumstances from one highway be used to make generalizations and predictions about the other? It is
possible that Green Highway and Blue Highway are not similar at all – perhaps Green Highway runs
through residential neighborhoods, whereas Blue Highway is located mostly in rural, unpopulated
sections of the city. Further, there is a possibility that the quality of the highways is markedly different,
with Green Highway’s roads falling apart and Blue Highway’s in pristine condition. If either of these
scenarios has merit, then conclusion drawn in the original argument is significantly weakened.

Secondly, do a majority of the area residents interested in biking live within biking distance of
their places of employment? The opponents in the argument prematurely assume that many of the
residents in the town will bike to work in the morning rather than drive their cars. However, this might
not be the case. Perhaps the average distance from home to work is over 15 miles, and that’s why many
of the residents are essentially obligated to take the highway – even if they don’t want to. In an ideal
world, they might choose to bike to work, but if the reality is such that they cannot do so due to the
logistics of their situations, then only one form of transportation (the car via the highway) is possible. If
the above is true, then the argument does not hold water.

(Possible unstated assumptions for this paragraph: 1. The author is assuming that last year’s
issues still exist today. 2. The author is assuming that if you enjoy bicycling as a hobby, then you are
likely to use that mode of transportation to commute to work. 3. The author is assuming that this added
bicycle lane will not result in any accidents that actually cause MORE traffic delays than the current set
up.)

In conclusion, the argument, as it stands now, is considerably flawed due to its reliance on
several unwarranted assumptions. If the author is able to answer the three questions above and offer
more evidence (perhaps in the form of a systematic research study), then it will be possible to fully
evaluate the viability of the proposed recommendation to add a bike lane to Blue Highway.